The present disclosure relates to a display unit and an electronic apparatus that include a nonluminescent spot (defect dot) correction capability thereon.
In recent years, in the field of a display unit for performing an image display, a display unit using a current drive type optical device the luminescence of which varies depending on a value of a flowing current, such as an organic EL device as a pixel light-emitting device has been developed and the commercialization thereof has been advanced (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-41574). Unlike a liquid crystal device and the like, an organic EL device is a self-emitting device. Therefore, a display unit using an organic EL device (organic EL display unit) eliminates the necessity of providing a light source (backlight), achieving higher image visibility, lower power consumption, and higher device response speed as compared with a liquid crystal display unit involving a light source.
As with a liquid crystal display unit, an organic EL display unit has a simple (passive) matrix method and an active matrix method as a drive method thereof. The former is disadvantageous in that it is difficult to achieve a large-sized and high-definition display unit in spite of a simple structure. Consequently, at present, an organic EL display unit that employs the active matrix method has been actively developed. This method controls a current flowing through a light-emitting device arranged for each pixel using an active device (typically a TFT (Thin-Film Transistor)) that is provided within a driving circuit prepared for each light-emitting device.
Meanwhile, an organic EL device has a structure that holds an organic film including a light-emitting layer between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. In an organic EL display unit using an organic EL device with such a structure as a pixel light-emitting device, introduction of any foreign material in a process of forming the organic EL device causes a pixel luminance defect. In concrete terms, any foreign material introduced in a manufacturing process may cause an inter-electrode short-circuiting between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode on the organic EL device. In the event of such an inter-electrode short-circuiting on an organic EL device, the organic EL device is unable to perform any light-emitting operation, which causes a luminance defect that is referred to as a so-called nonluminescent spot (hereinafter called a defect dot) wherein a sub-pixel including such organic EL device is visible as a nonluminescent pixel.
As measures against such a luminance defect caused by introduction of any foreign material, a technique for providing plural sets of pixel configuration devices including an organic EL device within a single sub-pixel is proposed in the past (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-41574). Even in the event of a defect in an organic EL device included in any set due to an inter-electrode short-circuiting and the like, use of this technique makes it possible to prevent a defect dot from occurring in a sub-pixel because pixel configuration devices included in any other sets operate normally.